Leather belt manufacture

ABSTRACT

Leather strips of varying lengths but uniform width are adhesively secured together in end-to-end succession and wound into coil form so that apparel belts can be made by cutting belts blanks of identical or of different lengths from the coiled material as it is uncoiled, according to the particular size of the belts to be made therefrom, without waste of material except of the short innermost end of the coil.

United States Patent Mann Jan. 7, 1975 [5 1 LEATHER BELT MANUFACTURE 2,211,676 8/1940 Sauer 69/21 [76] Inventor: Richard L. Mann, PO. Box 69, g ;g;-,-;

Woodstock Com 06231 2,912,700 11/1959 Vizard 2/338 [22] Filed: Dec. 17, 1973 Primary bxammer-Geo. V. Larkm 21] Appl. N6; 425,120

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl. 2/338, 69/215 L ather strips of arying lengths but uniform width are [51] Int. Cl A4lf 3/02, A41f 9/00 adhesively secured together in end-to-end succession [58] Field of Search 161/35-37, and wound into coil form so that apparel belts can be [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 14,040 l/1856 Turner 69/215 17,445 6/1857 Norton 69/215 made by cutting belts blanks of identical or of different lengths from the coiled material as it is uncoiled, according to the particular size of the belts to be made therefrom, without waste of material except of the short innermost end of the coil.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures 1 LEATHER BELT MANUFACTURE This invention relates to the manufacture of leather belts for use as apparel and more particularly to a method of manufacturing such belts with less waste of leather than is presently encountered in belt manufacture and hence with accompanying reduction in cost.

Currently, leather belt manufacturers are wont to buying their leather stock as separate strips of tanned leather or as full skins. The strips are of lengths as demanded by the particular lengths (sizes) of belts to be made therefrom. End portions of the strip which are cut off and are too short to make a full belt, are discarded as waste.

According to the present invention, much of the above type of waste is eliminated by presenting to the manufacturer pre-prepared stock in the form of a coil containing a succession of leather strips of uniform width which have been cut from a whole tanned hide and joined end-to-end. From such a coil many final belt lengths, either all identical in length or of varying lengths depending upon the length of the belt to be made therefrom, can be cut off without waste except for the last inner piece of the coil. This procedure results in some or all of the lengths containing one or more end-to-end joints. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the joints be made as unnoticeable as possible as by using skived joints and refinishing each of the joints, when made, to match the color and/or the texture of the hide on both sides.

The invention may be better understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a representation of a whole tanned hide with dotted lines indicating a pattern of cuts separating the hide into elongated strips all of uniform width but of varying lengths; 1

FIG. 2 shows a succession of strips such as are pro cured from the hide of FIG. 1 coiled up into roll form after the ends of the strips have been joined end-to-e'nd;

FIG. 3 is a representation of a single belt blank cut from the coil of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows the leather blank of FIG. 3 repeated in dotted lines and indicating in full lines a belt made therefrom; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail of the strip ends as prepared for making a skived joint.-

The leather strip shown in FIG. 3 has been perforated at 10 for accommodating a buckle 12 and to provide adjustability with a line of tongue-receiving holes 14.

The blank of FIG. 3 has been procured from a coil of stock as shown in FIG. 2 where a succession of lengths of leather cut from a whole tanned hide 15, as indicated by the discontinuous lines in FIG. 1, have been joined end-to-end as at 16 in FIG. 2. The joints are made by overlapping and adhesively securing complemental skived ends 20, 22 of separate strips which are of varying lengths but uniform width. The joints are finished to make them practically unnoticeable. The strip of FIG. 3 has been cut from the stock without regard to the presence or location of a joint in the blank.

As can be seen when the locations of the skived joints can be disregarded, the entire coil may be used in belt manufacture except for the last inmost short end, which is not the case when small sizes, e.g., from 28 inches up, are made from oversize individual unjoined strips, e.g., those that are 43 inches in length and up.

What is claimed is: l. A method of reducing waste of leather in the manufacture of leather belts made for apparel use comprisslitting a tanned and finished whole hide into onepiece strips of uniform width varying in length;

adhesively joining a plurality of said strips end-to-end to form a composite strip at least as long as the composite length of the leather contents of belts to be made therefrom;

finishing the adhesive seams to match the surface color or grain of the strips on both sides;

coiling the joined strips for transportation purposes;

unwinding the coil to feed off successive lengths of leather of uniform width;

cutting off successive lengths fed off the coil to provide lengths of leather corresponding to those present in separate finished belts to be made therefrom, leaving no waste other than at the inner end of the coil; and

making separate belts from said cut lengths. 

1. A method of reducing waste of leather in the manufacture of leather belts made for apparel use comprising slitting a tanned and finished whole hide into one-piece strips of uniform width varying in length; adhesively joining a plurality of said strips end-to-end to form a composite strip at least as long as the composite length of the leather contents of belts to be made therefrom; finishing the adhesive seams to match the surface color or grain of the strips on both sides; coiling the joined strips for transportation purposes; unwinding the coil to feed off successive lengths of leather of uniform width; cutting off successive lengths fed off the coil to provide lengths of leather corresponding to those present in separate finished belts to be made therefrom, leaving no waste other than at the inner end of the coil; and making separate belts from said cut lengths. 